Bus

Cleveland RTA ridership growth spurs expansion plans

CLEVELAND — After years of declining ridership due to the recession and service cutbacks Greater Cleveland RTA's ridership is up and the agency is looking to expand. Future plans for the RTA include service extensions and the rebuilding of older transit stations, according to GM Joseph Calabrese in an interview with Crain's Cleveland Business.

Leading the ridership spurt, is the Red Line rapid, which is largely because of an increase in workers riding downtown from the West Side, he said. Passenger counts also continue to build on the $200 million HealthLine BRT system, that is celebrating its fifth anniversary this week.

Jean-Marc Landry will take over as CEO, while William Trainer will transition from his CEO role to undertake the roles and responsibilities of president and remain as a member of the board of directors.

Staff informed the board that this is intended to be the last diesel bus purchase that SamTrans will make because the Transit District would eventually like to convert its current fleet to electric buses in the future.